Switzerland helps Can Tho build model city

Switzerland’s State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) will support a project that helps turn the Mekong Delta city of Can Tho into a model urban city adaptive to climate change, Martin Shenton, a SECO representative, said on October 22.

Specifically, SECO will help Can Tho develop an integrated flooding risk management and early warning system to quickly respond to climate change impacts.

It will also consider providing the city with technical assistance to help it understand more about flooding risks and effectively operate the integrated infrastructure system so that to mitigate risk consequences.

Vo Thi Hong Anh, Vice Chairwoman of the municipal People’s Committee, affirmed that the support from the Swiss agency will help the city better its coordination in implementing the project, especially in infrastructure upgrading.

The project, expected to be implemented from 2016 and 2021, will target to consolidate the city’s financial system in order to improve budget spending and management, expand programmes to support vulnerable residents, and improve local authorities’ capacity of monitoring development activities.-VNA